


Tripping a Ticking Time Bomb

by rychuu



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: DW it might end on a cliffhanger, I love Twins aU okay, M/M, Yeah it's time for angst, also VRAU Twins AU, and the aftermath of that, attempted suicide tw, but it's still an attempt, but rest assured there will probably be more at some point, dw the idea is it's a failed attempt, if/when this fic gets updated you'll see, sue me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-06 17:29:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16837159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rychuu/pseuds/rychuu
Summary: Kokichi thought he was doing well with his life after the Killing Game. He really, genuinely believed everything was perfectly fine.Well, that’s what happens when you lie to yourself.





	Tripping a Ticking Time Bomb

**Author's Note:**

> Warning for a graphic description of an attempted suicide
> 
> This fic might get updated/more content later I'm not sure I'm really tired
> 
> But enjoy!

“… What?”

The admission caught Kokichi by surprise. Genuine, horrified, raw surprise. 

_It’s exactly what I said,_ Jaden signed, a soft scowl on his face as he kept his gaze averted from Kokichi’s. _The incident with you and Gonta during your killing game bothers me. That’s my problem with you._

Those words were like poison. Poison that set icy chills up his spine. When he saw that Jaden had been distant from him, cold and more easily annoyed than what he remembered. It was such a subtle difference, that no one but him noticed. 

But Kokichi _noticed._ He noticed that Jaden’s chill had only grown colder and colder. He had been gently probing Jaden for an explanation for so long, and now that he finally got his answer, he felt nausea settle in his stomach.

“But, wait, that was _years_ ago,” Kokichi felt an uneasy smile force itself onto his lips. “Why? I don’t get it. Why… now?”

 _You’re the one who kept asking me._ Jaden gave a heavy sigh. _What you did was… unacceptable, to say the least._

“But…. _Why?”_ Kokichi swallowed. “That had nothing to do with you.”

 _Isn’t it obvious?_ Jaden finally raised his head, to meet his gaze with Kokichi’s. _You and Gonta… me and Marie… Did you really think that it wouldn’t hit close to home for me?_

Perhaps it was all in his mind, but Kokichi thought he heard something. Static, he was hearing static. Yet all that he was able to express outwardly was a blank, hollow expression.

“Marie…” The name was toxic, like hemlock on his tongue. “So, I remind you of her.”

 _That is not what I said,_ Jaden signed quickly. _The situation between you and Gonta just hits too close to home for me still. It’s my problem, Kokichi, not yours. Gonta, everyone, they’ve all already forgiven you, so it’s only me who has an issue._ Jaden averted his eyes again, frown deepening. _There isn’t anything you can do about it, either. It’s just how it is. I thought that time would help, but it can only do so much._

“… I see.”

Then, there was silence. A bitter, cold silence that felt like icicles stabbing into Kokichi’s chest. Yet he wouldn’t let even a hint of the pain show, not anywhere on his features or on his face.

“Welp! So, I guess we aren’t friends anymore, right?” His voice. Kokichi heard his voice speaking. He felt his lips forming into a grin, and his hands tucking themselves behind his head. Everything from then on felt foreign, like it wasn’t him in control anymore.

 _That’s not what I said, Kokichi._ Jaden signed. Oh sweet, soft Jaden. The person his twin brother loved and needed so desperately in his life. 

“Right, riiiight… oh! We were never friends to begin with, right?” Stupid. His stupid voice kept talking. “You never seemed to like me much. You always preferred to hang out with Rochi over me, right?”

 _That’s not what I meant either…_ Jaden looked so distressed. Anyone who’d cause such a horrible face to form on Jaden was a monster. _Kokichi, I didn’t–_

“Well, who cares! We never really got along well anyway.” Kokichi turned away from Jaden, unable to see whatever he was trying to say. “I certainly don’t. So, whatever.”

Horrible. Foul. That was the only way to describe his smile.

“Anyway, I was just heading out to see Kaito and Shuichi. I promised them we could spend some time together before Christmas in a few days. Tomorrow, we’re going to play all day in the snow!” His body moved, all on its own. 

“Buh byeee!”

The door slammed before Jaden even had the chance to respond.

The rest of the night was a blur. He had made his way over to Shuichi and Kaito’s apartment, and managed to force out all of the fake smiles and sweet words he’d usually was able to. If they had noticed something was off, they didn’t ask about it. Probably because he had trained them not to.

The thought set his chest on fire.

“I’m gonna take a bath after ‘Aito has a shower!” Kokichi chirped. “A nice, hot, steamy bath before we spend all day tomorrow playing in the snow!”

Kaito’s face heated up from the nickname, but he only threw the towel in his hand over his shoulder. “A bath? You normally take showers.”

“Hey, even I like to spoil myself a little sometimes!” Lies. Bitter, sweet, toxic lies. “Anyway, you better hurry up, I wanna take a nice bubble bath!”

“Jeez, fine, fine.” 

Kaito threw a glance over to Shuichi, who sat next to Kokichi on the couch, before he carried the towel and his clothes to the bathroom and locked the door.

With his own hair still damp from his shower, Shuichi turned to Kokichi was a soft frown. “Hey… Kokichi, is everything okay?”

“Hmm?” Kokichi tilted his head. “Yeah, of course. Why?”

Lies. Toxic, manipulative, horrible lies.

“It’s just… me and Kaito noticed that you’ve been… kind of off tonight.” Ever observant, ever caring and sweet. The sweetness was like tar in Kokichi’s chest. “Is everything okay?”

Kokichi stared at Shuichi with a blank expression. A part of him, maybe the part of him that had developed over the years, wanted to tell Shuichi the truth. He wanted to confess, confess the horrible feelings that sprouted from his chest and iced over his entire body.

But the lies won him over, and he smiled.

“Yeah, just a little under the weather. Not a big deal, okay? I will feel toootally better after a nice, hot, relaxing bubble bath.”

Shuichi’s eyes flickered over his face, searching for any hints that what he had just said was indeed a lie. Shuichi only ended up sighing in the end, and wrapping his arm around Kokichi’s shoulders.

“Okay. If there’s anything wrong, though, you’d tell us, right?” 

The touch and words felt sharp and seething. Kokichi could barely resist wincing away from Shuichi, but he didn’t. It would break the facade. 

“Of course! Why would I ever lie to the people I love so very much?” Why, why indeed. Kokichi wondered why he was doing this, why he was right back to lying through his teeth. As if the past few years never happened. It only confirmed that he really did deserve the pain that overtook his entire body.

Shuichi only brought Kokichi closer. The contact only made the pain in his chest deepen.

Soon, Kaito was out of the bathroom, and Kokichi hopped out of his seat, grabbed his clothes and cell phone, and slammed the bathroom door behind him.

The lock clicked into place. No one could stop him now.

The fake cheer he held for the entire evening slipped from his face, and dead eyes met him as he stared into the mirror. Kokichi scoffed at his own reflection before he turned to the bathtub.

Without plugging the drain, Kokichi turned on the water to simulate him filling up the tub. He waited. Waited, waited, until he thought it had been long enough to turn the tub off. 

Then he waited. He waited, and waited, until he finally forced himself to stand up, and moved back to the cabinet to stare at himself in the mirror.

Kokichi took the time to acknowledge himself. How healthy he looked. His skin was soft and almost glowing from how much more he had been taking care of himself. He didn’t have any sort of dark circles under his eyes. He was even a little taller, and a little heavier too. Kokichi was no longer the skin and bones he used to be, not ever since Kaito got a hold of his diet and made sure he ate a proper meal every day.

His eyes fell to the sink. Kaito and Shuichi, they had helped him so much through the years. They had grown so attached to him. Guilt coiled more and more in his stomach, and he felt like he was going to throw up. Of course they were attached with how he _trained_ them to be.

Did he? Of course. There was no denying that. No one would love someone like _him_ of their own choice–so they had to have been tricked, or manipulated, or… something. Who knew what sort of horrible things Kokichi had been doing to them, like he had done to _Gonta_ all those years ago.

A weak sob broke through his otherwise neutral facade, and he immediately drew in a heavy breath to hold back any more that dared tried to follow. Before he could think too much more about it, he opened the cabinet, and grabbed the first full bottle of some odd medication his hand could find.

He quickly read the label. It was a bottle of anti-depressants, prescribed to Shuichi. He stared at it for a moment before he shook his head, and put them back in their place. He had already been so _horrible_ to Shuichi. He couldn’t take away the medicine that he was using to help him.

His eyes caught on to another bottle, a generic brand of sleeping medication. Over the counter, easy to access. It wouldn’t be too much trouble if he used up all of the little pills in the bottle.

So with a determined, empty and despair-filled gaze Kokichi grabbed the bottle and popped the lid open.

He downed the whole bottle in just four batches. Impressive, he thought. Water helped most of it, but it was almost like swallowing candy whole.

By the time he was done, and the bottle was empty, he already started to feel dizzy and ill. Another weak, pathetic sob escaped from him, but he was sure to keep it silent. He couldn’t let them hear him. He couldn’t let them save him, not when he ruined everyone he ever laid his eyes on. 

Surely, they’ll all be better off without him. With a trembling hand, he grabbed his phone. There was one more thing he needed to do.

…………..

……..

…

Jaden had been entirely focused on his art when his phone buzzed. He ignored it the first few times, but after the third buzz he rolled his eyes, and glared over to it. He was in the middle of his work, and he knew that getting back into focus would be near impossible.

Especially after his encounter with Kokichi just hours before. His heart dropped at the thought. 

With a soft sigh, he pushed his chair off of the desk, and let it roll him across his room and over to his bed, where he picked up his cell phone.

His eyes widened slightly when he saw that the texts were from Kokichi. A small ball of dread hit him as he tapped his phone’s screen and read the messages.

_“I’m sorry.”  
_

_“Please don’t hate me.”  
_

_“I won’t bother you anymore.”  
_

_“Please take care of my brother.”_

_“Tell him I love him.”  
_

_“Tell him I’m sorry.”_


End file.
